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<title>Day Seventeen by The_Wilds_Musings (HarryJamesPeralta)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975071">Day Seventeen</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarryJamesPeralta/pseuds/The_Wilds_Musings'>The_Wilds_Musings (HarryJamesPeralta)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hidden Moments [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Wilds (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fluff and Angst, Shelby is big sad, Short &amp; Sweet, Toni and Shelby have a heart to heart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:08:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975071</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarryJamesPeralta/pseuds/The_Wilds_Musings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Toni and Shelby are sent to collect water too close to dark, they talk, and then they don't talk.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hidden Moments [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Day Seventeen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/didacticinstruction/gifts">didacticinstruction</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Day Seventeen</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Getting water was by far the worst duty of them all, and setting out this late in the day generally wasn’t a good idea, perhaps they’d wind up sleeping at the waterfall and heading back in the morning.Either way, it had to be done, by sometime tomorrow or they’d be hurting, dehydrated more than normal.Shelby and Toni walked together in near silence, it took nearly thirty minutes to get to the waterfall in perfect conditions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Keep up baller,” Shelby teased lightly, they had kissed on two separate occasions but hadn’t had the chance to really talk yet.Ten minutes into their walk only and she’d picked a teasing tone already.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You couldn’t handle me if I tried to keep up,” Toni barbed right back, her tone changed rather suddenly, “Remember the other day when you said you’d like to go on a walk, to talk?”Toni didn’t add anything else, but Shelby stopped moving, she turned to face Toni slowly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah,” she responded softly, “I do want to talk, I just don’t really know where to start,” she admitted and Toni nodded in understanding.They started walking again and Toni spoke up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When was the first time you thought you might be interested in girls?” Toni asked innocently, she knew when Shelby kissed her that there was no way that that was the first time it had ever crossed her mind.Shelby’s right hand came up to her necklace, her thumb and forefinger gripping the cross tightly, it took her more than a few minutes to answer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think I was thirteen when I realized how beautiful other girls were,” she finally answered, “But it took me until last year to realize that that meant I was interested in them.”Shelby swallowed hard, not admitting that out loud in her entire life before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who was she?” Toni asked, she could hear the pain in Shelby’s voice and assumed, incorrectly, that it just didn’t work out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know that I can tell you everything just yet,” she whispered so quietly that Toni barely heard it over the crunching of their footsteps on broken twigs along the path.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You don’t have to tell me everything, or anything, but I guarantee you’ll feel better,” Toni told her, “and if it makes you feel better I can tell you how I figured it out too.” Toni shrugged despite the fact that Shelby walked ahead of her and she didn’t see the shrug.Shelby nodded silently and said nothing, “You want me to go first?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“If you don’t mind,” Shelby said lightly.Toni licked her lips in anticipation, her story would surely take her as long as the rest of their walk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I guess the first time I thought a girl was pretty was somewhere around grade six,” Toni started with a wistful smile, “I’d just transferred schools for the third time that year, on my third foster family, her name was Elizabeth, she was the oldest of their biological family, I was 12, and she was 13 and Shelbs,” Toni trailed off for a moment, “we were best friends, I got bad nightmares and at night she would climb into my bed and hold my hand, and rub my hair and tell me it was okay.  She was beautiful honestly, we wound up sleeping in the same bed every night for nearly three months.  It was all innocent enough, we were kids.”  Toni sighed deeply, “Then one day after school we were sitting on her bed and I kissed her, I don’t really know why I did it, but she kissed me back.  We spent weeks together, sleeping in the same bed, kissing under the covers, giggling in the treehouse in the yard.  Then one day her mom walked into the bedroom to put away laundry and caught us kissing, she told us we had to get to school, but she didn’t seem angry.  All day at school we were nervous wrecks, I saw her at lunchtime and she seemed fine, everything seemed good still.  Then toward the end of the day I was called down to the office, met by a social worker and she brought me to a new house thirty miles away.  I didn’t get to say goodbye to her, or any of my friends I made that year.  They packed my shit and literally kicked me out..” Toni let out a shaky sigh and  Shelby stopped walking, they had reached the waterfall and she turned around.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry that happened to you Toni,” she whispered to the other girl, her fingers trailed Toni’s jaw lightly and she leaned in placing a chaste kiss to Toni’s cheek.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It is what it is,” Toni said lightly, her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes though and Shelby felt her heartbreaking for Toni, not only did she lose someone she cared about, but an entire family that loved her dropped her like a hot potato.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Her name was Becca,” Shelby started, they moved toward the water finding a log to camp out on while they talked.“I think I’d secretly been in love with her since I really started noticing girls, but I didn’t know what it meant until we were sitting on my bedroom floor, her making fun of me trying on all the different gowns for the upcoming pageant,” Shelby whispered.“We grew up together, best friends since the fifth grade, her family is like my own, we went to church together, the only thing we didn’t do together were pageants, she’s more of a tomboy than me I guess,” Shelby said with a smile that quickly faded, “was more of a tomboy,” Toni’s heart clenched at Shelby’s usage of the word <em>was</em>, but she didn’t interrupt.“Anyway, we were sitting on my floor and she tried to come at me with a marker, I fought her off valiantly, but while we were still close I kissed her, the first kiss I ever had with a girl, she didn’t pull away right away, I think she might have felt similar feelings, I don’t know,” Shelby whispered, her voice was getting hoarse and when Toni looked at her she realized Shelby was crying.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s okay, you don’t have to finish,” she interrupted softly as she reached over to wipe Shelby’s tears softly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My dad walked in on us, pretended not to see, but we all knew he did,” Shelby whispered, “I swore to him up and down that Becca kissed me, that it meant nothing, that I had never done anything like that in my entire life and that it would never happen again, Becca tried to call me, to text me, to e-mail me the entire week afterward and I ignored her, radio silence…” Shelby took a shuddering breath and continued, “She texted me and told me to come outside to talk and I blew up at her, I told her she kissed me, I told her it wasn’t like that and that I couldn’t be friends with someone like that, I blocked her e-mail address, her phone number, her facebook, instagram, everything,” Shelby said miserably, “I found out just two days later, minutes before I went on for a pageant, that she committed suicide…” the words flowed out of Shelbys mouth for the first time, “It’s all my fault,” her throat nearly closed on itself in the grief as she choked out a sob and Toni’s arms wrapped around her easily, pulling the blond into a crushing hug.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It isn’t your fault Shelby,” she whispered repeatedly as she ran her hand in comforting circles on Shelbys back, she can kind of see now, why Shelby was so anti-gay acting. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course it’s my fault,” she whispered, “I committed a sin with Becca, and she felt so terrible she killed herself.”Shelby’s eyes closed miserably against Toni’s shoulder and Toni shook her gently.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You kissed someone you loved, and it sounds like she probably wasn’t too upset about the kiss either, if anyone is to blame here it is your parents, both of your parents, for making you feel guilty about something as natural as walking, or talking,” Toni spit out.“You have nothing to apologize for.” She promised Shelby.“I’m sorry you’ve had to live with this guilt,” she added gently.Shelby calmed down after ten or so minutes of crying and she pulled herself from Toni’s arms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I feel so much better,” she said, “I’ve never told anyone that story before.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can understand why, but it’s a lot to keep to yourself, I don’t know how you manage to act like you have it all together, you’ve met me, rage city over here,” Toni managed to joke and Shelby smiled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll work on my guilt if you work on your rage,” Shelby bargained and Toni smiled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Deal,” she responded to the blonde holding out her hadn’t to shake.Shelby leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Toni’s lips, innocently before pulling away.</p>
<p><br/>“Deals are best sealed with a kiss,” she said with a shrug, her eyes were puffy from crying and Toni looked at the sky which was darkening quickly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t think we should walk back to camp tonight, they’ll understand as long as we get back early enough,” Toni said softly, they could collect their water now, find a soft dry spot to lie down for the night, and get cozy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You really just do want me alone don’t you Toni Shalifoe?” Shelby asked teasingly and Toni glanced at her, realizing after a moment that her eyes had landed on Shelby’s lips first before she looked into the girls eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why Miss Shelby Goodkind, I think I’ve been caught,” Toni responded in a teasing light accent and Shelby pushed her lightly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Make fun of my accent again Shalifoe,” she dared to Toni and Toni opened her mouth responding in a thicker Texas accent.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’ve caught me, darling, just wanted a pretty lil thing like you all to myself,” they both broke out in hearty laughs as they filled the water jugs and Shelby found herself smiling.Being with Toni was easy, light-hearted, fun, well as fun as being stuck on an island in God knows what country could be. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I wanted you to myself too,” Shelby admitted fifteen minutes later, the water jugs were full, they had lit a small fire to warm themselves and boil one of the jugs of water to drink tonight and refill in the morning. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why’s that?” Toni asked, her right eyebrow cocked up, her expression was one of confusion, but her eyes spoke true, she knew Shelby wanted to get her alone for a lot of reasons, and talking wasn’t one fo them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know why,” Shelby maneuvered herself from the sitting position on the log they were both perched on, she straddled Toni’s lap, the other girl swallowed hard, Shelby could see her throat move as she swallowed the water that was in her mouth.Toni’s hands came up instantly to rest on Shelby’s hips, steading the girl so she wouldn’t fall from her lap and Shelby bit her lip for a moment, their eyes meeting once before she noticed Toni was staring at her mouth and she smiled leaning in slightly.It felt like hours had passed as they sat their comfortably, their bodies got closer inch by inch, until finally Shelby’s lips pressed against Toni’s.Their kisses started out quite innocently, Shelby leading them slow and soft, pulling back in between individual pecks.Toni’s hands tightened around Shelby pulling the girl in her lap from her knees onto her thighs, as close as their bodies could be to each other without stripping, Shelby kissed her again, this time, less innocently. </p>
<p>Their tongues battled for dominance and Toni gasped as Shelby’s hands wandered up the hem of her shirt, she sure was a handsy girl.Shelby took advantage of Toni gasping, breaking the kiss and moving her lips to the other girls earlobe biting softly.“Fuck,” Toni whispered and Shelby craved to make her swear again, her fingers traveled up further until Shelby’s fingers came to the underside of Toni’s bra, she pushed her hand under the soft cup until her fingers found the hardening nub of Toni’s nipple.“Do you want to stop?” Toni asked, out of breath.Shelby thought for a few moments and shook her head.“Do you want me to touch you?” Toni asked, she certainly wasn’t used to the attention being focused on her.Shelby shook her head vehemently. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not yet, but if you want me to stop…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Gods no, honestly I’d let you fuck me,” Toni responded rather crassly, she knew she was completely soaked, but it wasn’t Shelby’s fault.Shelby pulled away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m not ready,” she whispered regretfully and Toni shook her head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“God no, Shelby, I’m sorry, I just meant you’re so gorgeous and I’m really turned on, not that I need you to fuck me now, or ever, I just…” Toni whispered urgently.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I get it, don’t worry,” Shelby responded, her voice was light, but the moment was thoroughly ruined. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe we can still get back?” Toni suggested, but Shelby shook her head,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We need to sleep, it’s nearly as dark as it’s going to get,” Shelby said softly, “We can sleep here, if it’s not too weird for you, we can cuddle,” she added and Toni smiled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’d like that.” They laid down as well as as they could manage without getting too awkward, Shelby curling into Toni’s side, her leg coming up to rest on Toni’s, her arm haphazardly flung across the girls' midsection, her head resting on Toni’s arm that was under her head, wrapped around her back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is the most comfortable I’ve been in seventeen days,” Shelby whispered after ten minutes of silence, their fire crackling dying out as the flames got low with no fuel being added.She moved her head slightly to see Toni’s face, but the girl was fast asleep already, “Night Toni,” She whispered to the sleeping girl pulling the one sweatshirt they had together over their exposed torsos, using the tiny thing as a blanket was as good as it was going to get tonight.</p>
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